Memories of summer
by Callidus-Neuro
Summary: An AU highschool setting where there are no precures and Nao and Reika never met each other before. Set in the second person from Nao's point of view. Contains Shoujo ai and yes, it's NaoRei.


**A/N: Hey guys. I've been in a writer's block lately so this is just to get something out of my system and to practice. Hope you enjoy. And as you know, this contains SHOUJO AI so back off if you don't like that. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own smile pretty cure or the characters. **

* * *

The first time you see her is during a soccer practice. You're on the side-lines because the coach wants to test some of the newbies out and he'd rather you don't terrorize them on the first day with your expertise and experience, or, as he put it, your 'overwhelming skillz'. So you gladly take refuge from the scorching-hot summer sun beneath a tree with a cool shade. As you settle down and make yourself comfortable by leaning against the tree, you see _her_.

A girl from your grade (judging by the colour of her necktie) is standing next to the school's flowerbed, diligently watering the plants. Despite the sunlight shining directly on the spot where she's standing, the girl doesn't seem to mind the heat, too absorbed into her task. Although you're some distance away from where she's standing, you can still catch a quiet melody drifting your way through the wind- soft and lilting, sweet to the ear. You've never wished you were a plant before but in this moment, you desperately wish that you were the flowers being sung to and being taken care of by this mysterious girl. As she tilts her head up and wipes sweat off her forehead, you catch a glimpse of her face for the first time.

You don't even notice the hitch of your breath and you don't notice the fact that you've stopped breathing altogether. The only thing you see is her and there's only one thought swimming around in your head.

She's beautiful.

And you definitely don't notice that you're falling in love.

* * *

You learn that her name is Aoki Reika and she's the vice president of the student council. She excels at anything academic and is the epitome of grace and elegance. She's amazing at archery and has a friendly demeanour and she listens to everyone.

Looking at all these facts, you don't find yourself surprised at all when you find that she has an enormous fan base within the school's population and you're pretty sure that you're a part of it. And so, you remind yourself that you're only one in few hundreds and you're nothing special. So you don't approach her or try to talk to her. After all, she has hundreds of other _better _students who would kill to have a chance to talk with her and compared to that, you can't really compete.

You tell yourself that it's nothing but mere infatuation and you reassure yourself that it'll fade away with time.

Few weeks later and the infatuation is still there. You still catch yourself thinking about her in class, at home, at practice. It's honestly getting ridiculous. You tell yourself to move on, to forget about her.

Easier said than done, you realize. It's inevitable. You knew all along, deep in your heart, but you just didn't want to admit it because it's stupid and unrealistic.

You've fallen in love at first sight.

You visit the flowerbed you first saw _her_. It's another hot day and nobody is around the area. You think that it's a nice to take a break from the boisterous and energetic chatter of your friends, not that you don't appreciate them because you do but it's just nice to relax in a peaceful atmosphere for once. You find a cool area near the flowerbed and you lower yourself to sit on the ground. You're just content with closing your eyes and feeling the occasional summer breeze. But before you can get lost in your own world, you notice that the flowers aren't looking too good. Some are slumping, their head pointed to the ground as if they've run out of energy and you find that you don't have the heart to ignore it.

You take out your water bottle you always carry around with you. Although the sun is hot enough to kill and you get thirsty really easily, you uncap the bottle and distribute the water around the flowerbed without any hesitation. When you're finished, you take a step back and when you see how pretty the flowers look glistening in the sunlight, you sort of understand why _she_ would take the time to water them so regularly despite her obviously busy schedule.

From that day, you make it a habit to visit the flowerbed every week and each time, you make sure to bring two water bottles.

* * *

This is the fourth time you're visiting the flowerbed and today, the weather is slightly cloudy- a rare occurrence that hasn't happened in a while. You do your usual routine of watering the flowers but instead of going back indoors afterwards to avoid the heat, you lie on the grass some distance away from the flowerbed and close your eyes. The soothing sound of the leaves swishing to and fro and the distance chatter of the students eventually lull you to sleep.

You dream of flowers and grass and wind and you dream of your granny's old house and the little wind-chime you used to listen to as a child. You dream of the watermelon you used to eat and you dream of the stories your granny used to tell you.

But when you wake up, the first thing you notice is the tune of a familiar song being hummed softly by a beautiful voice. You quickly sit up and turn your head to the direction of the voice. Your eyes widen when you see that it's none other than _her_. The humming stops and you realize that she's spotted you and you're staring rather rudely at her. She seems surprised to see you, as if she hadn't expected there to be anyone else around here. You also notice that there's a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks but you have no idea what that means.

You both eventually get over the awkwardness and introduce yourselves. She's as polite and as friendly as ever and you're just trying your hardest to not trip over your own feet in nervousness. You start chatting and as time passes, you're already used to the fluttering feeling in your stomach. You find out that she's even nicer when you really talk with her, if that's possible. She tells you that she's been wondering about the mysterious person who has been watering the flowers lately and when she smiles at you radiantly and tells you that she's found her person, you can't help but scratch your cheek and feel embarrassed.

You don't tell her that you're in love with her.

* * *

From that day, you've been visiting the flowerbed with renewed enthusiasm and each time, Reika's there. You can't help but look forward to your time alone with her and you anticipate Wednesday lunchtimes more than anything else. A month and a half has passed and through your conversations, you've learnt a lot about Reika.

Unlike your image and everyone else's image of her, she isn't perfect.

You learn that she's really picky about the brand of tea she drinks. She's can't stand leaving things unfinished and has a bad habit of being too worried about everything. Although she's good at cooking, her baking is terrible. She's really fussy about putting things in order and she finds the lamest jokes hilarious. She also has a sarcastic side to her that she brings out very rarely but when she does, you feel delighted because you know that you're probably the only one who's seen this side of her outside her family.

In turn, you tell her about yourself. You tell her about your passion for soccer and how you aim to be a famous soccer coach who trains kids to become stars. You tell her about your large family and how you mostly take care of all your siblings on a daily basis. You hate it when people are too arrogant and you hate bullies. You eat a lot and you like cute things. You're scared of insects and you used to have a height phobia. You tell her all of this and she listens patiently. Sometimes, you're afraid that you're boring her with your chatter but she always smiles at you genuinely and somehow, you don't think she's acting.

You mention that you're not too good with history in a passing and she immediately offers to tutor you. You should be suspicious but you're too secretly overjoyed at the prospect of spending more time with Reika that you don't care. You don't hesitate to say yes. As soon as the word slips out of your mouth she smiles at you widely. In her eyes, you think you see a gleam of _something _but you're not sure what it means.

And even if you tried, you can't work it out because you're too distracted by the loud beating noise of your heart.

* * *

You're visiting Reika's house for the first time to study for the history test that's coming up. Her house is just as you imagined it to be- elegant and big. It's actually the only house you've been inside that isn't westernized and you appreciate the gesture of protecting the Japanese culture and history. You tell her exactly that and she seems surprised. Before you can ask why, she silently hugs you and you freeze on the spot. You internally panic inside your head but when you feel wetness on your shoulder, you ease into the embrace and gently rub her back in a soothing way. You softly ask why she's crying and she replies that she's simply happy because you're the only one who accepted her and understood her without calling her old fashioned or being intimidated by the sheer size of the house. You feel slightly angry that anyone would hurt Reika's feelings but you then sadly come to the realization that she was probably really lonely without a real friend. And in this moment, you vow to yourself that you'll never abandon her, no matter what happens.

* * *

You're cheering like mad. As you had promised, you're here to support Reika in her archery tournament. It's the last round and she's winning by a mile and you're not surprised at all. But nonetheless, when the announcer announces her win through the speakers, you still jump up and down in joy and excitement. You wait for her anxiously in the changing rooms and as soon as she walks in through the door, you pounce and grab her into a hug. When you pull away, you can't help but feel the urge to scoop her into your arms once again but you resist the temptation. You notice that she's sweating slightly but you're worried about her red face. As far as you know, the weather isn't that hot so you wonder why she's so red. In the end, you simply deduce that the sunlight was probably shining brighter in Reika's position.

Afterwards, you treat her to smoothies. When your hands brush as you hand over her strawberry and mango smoothies, you feel a spark and you pull back hastily. You watch her face to see if she felt it too but she seems fine so you don't say anything.

* * *

You miss another chance to confess your feelings but you remind yourself that there's always a next time.

It's another Wednesday lunch and you head over to the flowerbed as per usual. When she comes, you show her your history test result proudly and she congratulates you on your A+. Although she seems genuinely happy and pleased for you, you can tell that something's on her mind. So you ask her what's on her mind.

She seems suddenly nervous and shy at the question and you're starting to feel a sense of dread. You become even more suspicious when she starts blushing and fidgeting. You prod her for an explanation and she reluctantly reveals that she's in love with someone.

You think you hear your heart shattering.

Even though you feel like your chest is on fire, you smile for her and tell her that she should go after her love and find happiness. She beams at you and thanks you and tells you that she will confess soon.

You hate yourself so much for wishing that the person Reika's in love with doesn't return her feelings.

* * *

You've been avoiding her lately, making up excuses to cancel your usual meetings. You feel that you don't deserve to receive her kindness when you can't even be truly happy for her. But you feel guilty about avoiding her at the same time.

In the end, you decide to go to the flowerbed today and confess and apologize. Maybe in time you can learn to move on.

By the time you reach there, you find Reika crying to herself whilst leaning against the wall. You instinctively rush over and pull her into a hug. You wait for the shouting, the punching, anything. But instead, she simply whispers a question. She asks if you're disgusted with her feelings. She apologises repeatedly and clutches the back of your shirt. You pull back and ask her what she's talking about. She looks confused.

You take this chance to explain everything. You confess that you've been in love with her since the beginning and you explain that you had been avoiding her because you didn't dare to face her after her announcement that she's in love with someone else.

When you finish, she explains that the person she's in love with is you and it takes every control you have to refrain yourself from digging a hole and dying there in embarrassment. Reika's laughs through her tears and you do the same. She calls you dense and you don't deny it. After you're both done laughing, you both take a more serious stance. You decide that it's your responsibility to confess properly to Reika and it's the least she deserves. You straighten your back and despite knowing what the answer would be, you still feel nervous. You clear your throat and try to force down the blush that's rising up to your face.

"I love you, Reika. Since the first time I saw you watering the flowers during soccer practice. Will you please go out with me?"

She smiles warmly and intertwines your fingers.

"I love you too Nao. And of course I'll be your girlfriend. Now can you kiss me?"

Strangely, you don't feel embarrassed as you lean down and place your lips on her's in a soft kiss. You notice the softness of her hair as you thread your finger through her tresses. You notice the scent of lily coming from her clothes and you notice the soft breeze blowing against your face.

But when you close your eyes, all you can see is Reika and all you notice is the immense love you feel for her.


End file.
